Rotary toothbrush



. J. LORRAINE El' AL ROTARY To'oTHBRUsH 'iled Aug.v 1, 1922 gnwntou.

attenant Patented Dec; 15, 19,25'. Y.

UNITED STATES,

PATENT OFFICE.

JoIIN LORRAINE AND ILALPH s. HAUGII, 0E MEDICINE HAT, ALBEn'IA, cANAnA.

ROTARY TooTIIBRUsII.

Application mea August 1, 1922; serial No. 578,879.

To all whom it may Gomera.'

Be it known that JOHN LORRAINE and RALPH S. IIAUGH,y citizens of theDominion of Canada, residing at Medicine I-Iat, in the Province ofAlberta and Dominion of Canada, have `invented new and usefulImprovements in Rotary Toothbrushes, of which the following is aspecification.

The object of the invention is to provide clency; and with this objectin view the invention consists in a construction and combination ofparts of which a preferred embodiment is shown in the accompanyingdrawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side view, and

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a brush constructed inaccordance with the invention. Y'

The device consists essentially of a tubular casing 11 in which isrevolubly mounted a tubular hold er 10, the holder having aswivelconnection ywith the casing as by being provided with a peripheral web12 fitted in a bearing in the casing which is closed by the removablecap 13 and which preferably carries anti-frictional bearing'relements14, the holder being provided at its outer end with a socket 15 for thereception of the stem 16 of a brush head 17, together with means forimparting a rotary motion to the stem. In the construction illustratedsaid means include a plunger 18 slidably fitted in the casing andpreferably within the tubular holder which is Lprovided with keys 19engaging splral thread grooves 20 in the plunger so that when the latteris moved longitudinally with relation to the casing it'serves tocommunicate a rotary motion to the holder, the rotation of the plungerbeing prevented by hav ing a shank 21 terminally provided with apressure button 22 and having a key or web 23 engaging a suitable seat24 in the end of the casing. The advance movement of the plunger isyieldingly resisted by a spring 25 which serves to return the same toits normal position when pressure uponthe button is released.

Therefore by alternately pressing and releasing the button 22, thecasing being held in the end and preferably being exteriorly milled at26 to ali'ord a satisfactory grip,

the plunger` communicates rotary motion alternately in oppositedirections to the holder to which the stem of the brush head isattached, the return of the plunger after each forward impulse beingeffected as above4 noted by the spring 25, so that an alternate rotationin opposite directions of the brush head is effected at a rapiditydepending upon the preference of the operator.

I-Iaving described the invention, what is claimed as new and useful is2- A rotary tooth brush structure comprising a relatively shortcylindrical casing adapted to serve as a handley grip, a tube journaledin the casing, said tube` being relatively long and having an endportion extending for a considerable distance beyond the end of thecasing, a cylindrical brush fixed to the distal end of the tube andhaving all of its bristles exposed, means for retaining the tube againstlongitudinal movement with relation to the casing, a plunger slidablymounted in the tube and completely housed therein, there being pin andspiral groove connection between the plunger and the tube, ahandlecarried by the plunger and normally disposedy beyond the end ofvthe casing and a coilspring housed in the tube and interposed betweenthe plunger and the brush.

In testimony whereof they aiiix their signatures.

JOHN LORRAINE. RALPH S. HAUGI-I.

